We will stand not take one step backwards on our way home to San Juan Copala

As we return to Oaxaca City with tired bodies and aching feet, we firmly hope that peace will come to our people some day.

Statement of the Autonomous Community Councio of San Juan Copala in the Zócalo of Oaxaca City after a caravan-march of over 100 kilometers despite heavy rains and threats from paramilitary groups.

To the news media
To human rights organizations
To social organizations
To indigenous peoples
To the Other Campaign

As we return to Oaxaca City with tired bodies and aching feet, we firmly hope that peace will come to our people some day. We will continue to denounce the impunity that we’ve been subjected to. The decision of our people remains firm and our demands are the same as they were before: JUSTICE, jail for the criminals, and peace for our land.

Sisters and brothers, now more than ever we are clear that we can’t expect anything good from those at the top. They order death and destruction for plain decent people and give handfuls of money to thugs who say they are leaders but subjugate the people through force of arms.

In our region, comrades, there are sinister people who have used terror to dominate the majority of our sisters and brothers. We know very well that expressing the slightest disagreement with our supposed leaders is motive for harsh physical and economic punishments. That’s what happened to us when we spoke out. It was the pretext for killing 22 people of our organization, and to date, justice has still not been done.

This is why these criminals who are well-known to both state and government officials, continue to impose their will on us and take human lives when they see fit. This doesn’t discourage us and it doesn’t break our spirit. We want to tell the people who have walked a long way and experienced the hardships well-known to people at the bottom and on the left that we will continue with our peaceful mobilization until PEACE reigns among our peoples and the criminals, along with their bosses, are where they belong. We ask those of you here in Oaxaca who are not yet sympathizers with our struggle to approach us to learn more about what moves us to keep on protesting. And when you do, you’ll realize that we’re struggling for life itself. We’re struggling to keep on being who we are, but above all, to preserve that part of history that it is up to us Triquis to keep alive, so that this country called Mexico can stay on its feet despite so many years of being ruled in the interests of the owners of money by henchmen who repress and exploit those of us who have nothing.